Deja Vu
by APhantasm
Summary: After the battle of the First Evil, Buffy while trying to escape the crumbling building falls into the Hellmouth. She wakes to find herself back in the Master's cave and back in her sixteen year old body. Can she make things better? Can she change her destiny? Her friend's destiny? Her mom's destiny?
1. Prologue

**Summary: **After the battle of the First Evil, Buffy while trying to escape the crumbling building falls into the Hellmouth. She wakes to find herself back in the Master's cave and back in her sixteen year old body. Can she make things better? Can she change her destiny? Her friend's destiny? Her mom's destiny?

**Pairings: **None decided on.

**A/U: **Alternate Universe from Prophecy Girl on.

**Disclaimer: **Buffy is owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

* * *

**Prologue**

The last thing Buffy remembered she was trying to escape the Hellmouth. The building was crumbling around her and then suddenly she was falling backwards, back into the Hellmouth. She bid a silent goodbye to her sister and her friends. The next thing she knew she was laying on her back looking into Xander and Angel's faces as they squatted on either side of her.

What was Angel doing there? Buffy wondered. And more importantly where was she? She stood up and asked, "Where am I?"

"The Master's cave," Angel said.

"I haven't been here in 4 years, what am I doing in here again?" Buffy said as she looked around her.

Angel and Xander looked at her strangely.

Before either Angel or Xander could say anything though, she asked, "Where is Dawn? Is she ok? Is Spike with her? Did the spell work, is Tara ok?"

"Who are Dawn and Tara?" Angel asked wondering who they were. And more importantly why was she asking if Spike was with this Dawn. And how did she know of Spike to begin with. He was sure she had never met Spike.

"My sister and Willow's girlfriend, silly," Buffy said. "Although, you might not know that because this is my past."

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked looking at her like she was crazy.

Buffy shook her head. It didn't matter. If she was right and this is her past. That meant the Master had just risen. "It doesn't matter. Let's go."

Angel and Xander nodded and the three of them left the cave. They headed for the school passing several vampires that they dusted easily.

"How do you know where the Master's going?" Xander asked.

Buffy smirked as she glanced at her friend. "I know."

They walk into the school and toward the door marked _Roof Access_. They notice that the lock has been broken and the door is ajar.

"Angel, keep the rest of the vampires off me," Buffy said. "Xander, I need you to find me a sledgehammer and meet me in the library."

"Right," Xander said.

She started up the stairs and out onto the roof. Where she saw the Master looking down into the library through the skylight.

"Yes ... come forth. My child ... Come into my world."

Buffy smirked. "I don't think it's yours just yet."

The Master turned to face her; he couldn't believe what he saw. "You ... are dead."

"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty," Buffy recited from memory. "Which is more than I can say for you."

"You were destined to die! It was written," the Master said.

Buffy laughed. "I won't permanently die for a long time to come. Sure in your little cave I drowned. But the thing was I was revived."

He reached out suddenly, clutching the air as though it were her. Locked eyes with her and stared at her, mesmerizingly. "Come here."

Buffy smirked as she moved but quicker than he expected. She grabbed him throwing him through the window and down on the broken table. She jumped through the skylight after him as she yelled. "Xander! The sledgehammer."

The Master landed on the upended shard of the table and dusted, leaving behind only his bones as Xander ran over to her handing her a sledgehammer. She began swinging the sledgehammer time and again grinding the Master's bones to dust.

And then everything stopped. There was a rending kind of shriek from the Hellmouth and the demon tentacles withdrew.

Buffy looked up at everyone as they all stared at her and what was left of the Master's bones. They all gathered in the middle of the room as Angel walked in.

"The vampires?" Giles asked.

"Gone," Cordelia said.

"The Master?" Angel asked.

"Dead," Giles said as he glanced at the remains of the bones. "And the Hellmouth has closed." He turned to Buffy. "Buffy?"

Buffy burst out crying, not for what just happened. But for everything she had lost. The weight of it coming crashing down on her. Six years gone in the blink of an eye. Her sister gone, having not yet created. She had to make sure Dawn was sent to her, it was the one thing she didn't want to change. She wanted to do right by Dawn this time around. She got her sobs down to a couple of sniffles. "I'm sorry. It's been a really weird day," she said.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, Buffy died and everything."

"Wow. Harsh," Willow said.

Buffy looked at Willow and then Ms. Calendar. She intended to talk to Ms. Calendar and see if the teacher could train Willow about magic. Maybe with Ms. Calendar's help, Willow wouldn't get addicted.

"I should have known that wouldn't stop you," Giles said, proudly.

"Well, what do we do now?" Ms. Calendar said.

Giles shrugged. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd really like to get out of this library. I hate it here."

Xander nodded. "I hear there's a dance over at the Bronze. Could be fun ..."

"Yeah!" Cordelia said in agreement.

"Buffy?" Willow said.

"You guys go ahead. There is some stuff I have to do," Buffy said.

"What about him?" Ms. Calendar asked looking at the remains of the Master's bones.

Buffy looked back at the Master's shattered remains. "Bury him. Other than that we don't have to worry about him. He won't be coming back. No revivication ritual will bring him back, now."

Giles looked at Buffy wondering how she knew about the revivication ritual.

That night Buffy sat at her desk writing down everything she could remember.

_Angel losing his soul because I slept with him._

_Ms. Calendar dying at Angel's hands._

_Kendra dying at Drusilla's hands_

_Angel going to Hell_

_Faith going bad_

_Cruciamentum_

_The Mayor turning into a giant demon snake_

_Oz leaving Willow_

_Adam and the Initiative_

_Riley leaving me_

_Dawn_

_Glory/Ben_

_Mom's tumor_

_Warren, Jonathon and Andrew_

_Dawn's kleptomania_

_Willow addicted to Magic_

_Tara's death_

_Willow nearly destroying the world._

_Spike going crazy when he got his soul._

_Bringer's killing Potentials and their Watchers_

_Watcher's Council blown up_

_Spike's trigger_

_Being kicked out of her house_

_Dawn's betrayal_

Buffy knew one thing she didn't want to change. Not yet anyways and that was Dawn. She would bide her time and wait till the monks had created her sister before she would go after Glory and Ben. She planned on being a better sister than she had been. Till then she was going to make things better for everyone, or at the very least try too.


	2. Chapter 1: Some Assembly Required

**Chapter 1: Some Assembly Required**

Xander and Willow walked home as they ate their ice cream cones.

"Okay, hold on ..." Willow said.

"It's your turn."

Willow sighed. "Okay, Um ... _In the few hours that we had together, we loved a lifetimes worth._"

Xander nodded. "Terminator."

"Good. Right," Willow said.

"Okay. Let's see ..." Xander said and then smiled as he did his best Charlton Heston impersonation. "_It's a madhouse! A m—_"

"Planet of the Apes," Willow interrupted.

Xander sighed. "Can I finish, please?"

Willow nodded. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"_Madhouse!_" Xander finished.

Willow waited to make sure Xander was done before repeating her answer. "Planet of the Apes. Good. Me now. Um ..."

"Well?" Xander asked, impatient.

"I'm thinking," Willow said. "Okay. _Use the force, Luke._"

Xander looked at her wondering if that even was worth answering. "Do I really have to dignify that with a guess?"

Willow sighed. "I didn't think of anything. It's a dumb game anyway."

"You got something better to do? We played rock-paper-scissors long enough, okay? My hand cramped up," Xander said.

"Well, sure, if you're ALWAYS scissors, of course your tendons are gonna stretch –" Willow said.

"You know, I gotta say, this has really been the most boring summer ever," Xander interrupted.

Willow nodded. "Yeah, but on the plus side, no monsters or stuff." She sat on the stone wall as Xander leaned on it next to her, looking off towards the graveyard.

"I know, but I'm so restless! I'm actually glad school is starting again," Xander said.

Willow nodded. "Yeah, and that has nothing to do with a certain girl that we both know that is a vampire slayer?"

"Please. I'm so over her," Xander said before asking real casual like. "Did she, uh, say when she was getting back, about which I don't care?"

Willow nodded. "The last postcard I got said she was getting back tonight. Probably catching up with her mom right now. Which you don't care about."

Xander sighed. "Okay, so maybe there's some interest. I'm a man, I have certain desires. Certain needs ..."

"I don't wanna know," Willow said.

Xander smirked. "Don't you?" He leaned in closer to Willow and smiled at her. "I got a movie for you." He dabbed his cone at her, leaving ice cream on her nose.

Willow stared at him wryly. "Xander ..."

"Come on," Xander said as he dabbed at her nose again. "You're Amish, you won't fight back because you're Amish, I mock you with my ice cream cone, Amish Guy ..."

"Witness. My nose is cold," Willow said.

"Let me get that –" Xander said as he made as if he was going to lick the ice cream off her nose.

Willow laughed. "Xander!"

"What can I say? It makes your nose look tasty," Xander said as he daubed her nose with a napkin.

Just then there is a vampire up close to them on the other side of the wall. They notice him and start back as Willow clumsily jumped from the wall. The vampire easily vaults the wall, coming swaggeringly at them.

"Willow, go!" Xander said, stepping in front of her.

"Xander –" Willow started as the vampire jumped Xander.

Xander stepped back and threw a punch, not even phasing it. The vampire grabbed his neck and pulled him in for the kill as Willow desperately searched about for some kind of weapon. She finally grabbed the vampire's arm, trying to wrench him off Xander.

Just then the vampire is spun around to face Buffy who hit him with a lightning punch and then a roundhouse kick. The vampire lunged at her as she flipped him onto the ground as she turned to face the others. "Hi guys."

The vampire reared up behind her and without looking back she slammed her foot into his chest, sending him flying back onto a broken branch as he exploded into dust.

"Miss me?" Buffy asked.

Xander and Willow hugged Buffy, excited to see her.

"Buffy!" Willow said.

Buffy smiled. "Hey, Will."

"Man, your timing really doesn't suck," Xander said.

Willow smiled. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," Buffy said. "Dad drove me down. And I knew you losers would be getting into some kind of trouble."

"I think we had the upper hand. In a subtle way," Willow said.

Buffy shook her head. "Does either of you even have a cross? Very sloppy ..."

"Well, it's been a slow summer," Xander said. "That was the first vampire we've seen since you killed the Master."

Buffy nodded. "Probably knew I was coming back."

"What about you? How was your summer? Did you slay anything?" Xander asked as they started walking down the street.

Buffy thought back on her summer. She had a long talk with him about his being absent since the divorce. He had promised to visit more not that she believed him. But he had order a second credit card on his account in her name. He had said it was to be used for emergencies but knew she would probably use it to shop for clothes. "Strictly R&R. Hung out, partied ... shopping was also a major theme."

"Well, you haven't lost your touch," Xander said. "That vampire –"

Buffy nodded. "I did kind of wail on him, didn't I?"

"I really like your hair," Xander said.

"So, how did you guys fare? Did you have any fun without me?" Buffy asked.

Xander shook his head. "No. "

"Yes," Willow said, contradicting Xander.

"Summer was a little yawnworthy. Our biggest excitement was burying the Master," Xander said.

Willow nodded. "That's right, you missed it! Right out by that tree." She pointed to a tree in the cemetery. "Giles buried what was left of the bones, which after you made them into mincemeat wasn't much. We also poured holy water and chanted and we got to wear robes!"

"Very intense. You shoulda been," Xander said.

"Have you see Giles?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not yet." Truth be told she had spent some of her summer wondering what she would say to Giles or her friends that she was from the future. In the end she decided it was better not to. She saw two solutions, one they thought she was crazy or two they believed her and peppered her on details about their lives. Neither solution would be a good one.

"Man, I'm really glad you're back," Xander said.

Buffy smiled. "Me too."

The next day Xander, Willow and Buffy approach Giles and Ms. Calendar in the school hallway.

"Giles!" Willow yelled out.

"Hey. G-man!" Xander said. "What's up?"

Giles glared at Xander. "Nice to see you and don't ever call me that."

Ms. Calendar smiled. "Hey, kids."

"How are you?" Giles asked.

Buffy smiled. "Peachy with a side of keen."

"Buffy killed a vampire last night!" Willow said excitedly as a few surrounding students looked at Willow as if she was crazy.

"Uh, I think you can get a little more volume if you speak from the diaphragm," Buffy said.

"Sorry," Willow said, apologetically.

"We got vampires?" Jenny asked. "I thought the Hellmouth was closed."

Buffy shook her head. "It's not closed for business," she said before thinking to herself. _Won't be for another several years._

Giles nodded in agreement. "Buffy, is more or less correct. It's not gone. The mystical energy it emits is still concentrated in this area."

"Which means we're still the undead's favorite party town," Xander said.

"This vampire—could you tell where he might be from?" Giles asked.

"Local talent. Fresh. He was still wearing his funeral ensemble," Buffy said.

Giles nodded. "Which means there are other vampires about, and they're already killing. I should have been on top of that. I wonder if they're here for some particular purpose ..."

Buffy shrugged. She knew that the vampires had originally wanted to revive the Master but she had taken care of that problem. "I doubt it. I would have thought the revivication ritual, but I made sure that can't happen."

Giles nodded as he reminded himself that he needed to find out where Buffy had learned of the ritual. For the mean time though he should check his books. "Well, I have to consult my books."

Xander looked down at as his watch and smiled. "Eight minutes and thirty three seconds," he said as he looked at Willow. "Pay up." He looked at the others as Willow dug a dollar out of her pocket. "I called ten minutes before you had to consult your books about something."

"We better get to class," Willow said.

That night Buffy sat in a cemetery waiting for a vampire to rise. Giles had informed her of Stephan Korshak's demise and that he might rise soon.

"Come on, Stephan, rise and shine. Some of us have a ton of trig homework waiting," Buffy said.

"Hey—" Angel said as Buffy spun, startled. "Is this a bad time?"

Buffy sighed as she knew she needed to talk to Angel about so many things. "Angel, I had a dream last night," she lied.

"One of your Slayer dreams?" he inquired, understanding what it meant for her to have one.

"It showed me bits and pieces of our relationship over the next few months. On my seventeenth birthday our relationship comes to a peak," Buffy said. "We sleep together and you lose your soul."

Angel sighed. "Which means we can't be together."

Buffy sighed and nodded. She would always love Angel. But she had long since fallen out of love with him. "I'm afraid so. I love you, Angel. I always will. But I don't want to be the cause of you losing your soul."

Angel looked off into the night and then finally back at Buffy. "I'll go. Try and find a way that we can be together without losing my soul. Then I will return." Buffy nodded as she watched him walk off into the night.

Behind her Stephan crawled out of his grave, looking at her with ravenous glee. He leapt on her, knocking her to the ground. She threw him off. Stephan grabbed a shovel, grinning, as Buffy grabbed her stake.

Stephan swung at her but she got inside it, raised her arm and the shovel splintered in half as it hits her forearm. With the other arm she shoved her stake it into his heart as he turned to dust.

Buffy turned and headed across the cemetery when she suddenly fell into an open grave. "Duh!" she said. "Forgot that Chris and Eric had been digging up corpses around this time to make Chris's brother, Darryl a girlfriend."

The next morning Buffy and Xander enter the library to find Giles with his back to them talking to an empty chair. "So, what I'm proposing ... and I don't mean to appear indecorous ... is a social engagement ... a date, if you will. If you're amenable ... Idiot!"

"Ms. Calendar, will say yes," Buffy said as Giles turned to face her and Xander a bit flustered. "Trust me. I know she has a thing for you and you have a thing for her."

Giles looked at Buffy for several moments and then nodded, deciding to change the subject. "So, how did things go last night? Did Mr. Korshack show up on schedule?"

"More or less," Buffy said. "I took care of him. There's something else, though. I had a Slayer dream about an empty grave. And then lo and behold I found one last night."

"Another vampire?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, no. It was dug up, and the body was taken out."

"Grave robbing. Well, that's new. Interesting," Giles said.

"So why does someone rob graves?" Xander asked.

"I'll collate some theories," Giles said.

"In my dream I saw two people I recognized as students here. Chris Epps and Eric something or other," Buffy said. "I'll talk to Chris."

That afternoon Buffy walked into the student lounge and spotted Chris and walked over to him. "Hello, Chris."

"Hey," Chris said. "Buffy, right?"

"Yeah," Buffy said. "We need to talk. About, Darryl."

Chris looked at her surprised. Does she know? "I'd …"

"He's going to ask you to kill for him," Buffy interrupted before Chris could deny that Darryl was alive, or rather undead.

Chris grabbed her arm and pulled Buffy aside. "He wouldn't. He just doesn't want to be alone. We're just creating for him a girlfriend. You know like Frankenstein."

Buffy sighed. "And your missing one crucial body part aren't you?" Chris nodded. "The head. Problem is there haven't been any deaths other than the three you dug up. Which means he will ask you to kill for him. The head he will want is Cordelia's. We have to stop him. Can you reverse his resurrection?"

Chris shook his head. "No."

Buffy sighed, "Then I will have to."

Thirty minutes later Buffy and Chris entered Chris's basement. "Daryl? Daryl!" She slowly checked through the wrecked basement, lifting smashed furniture as Chris, in borderline shock, shadowed her. "Okay, he's not here. He should have been here. He shouldn't have gone to the lab at the school till tomorrow. Unless." She looked to Chris. "Eric overheard us. And then told your brother." She spun and headed up the stairs, Chris once again following her. "He probably went after Cordelia and intends to have Eric cut off her head. So were going straight to the lab."

Thirty minutes later in a gutted room with boarded up windows that bears carbon streaks from a fire a year earlier, Buffy walked into the room.

"Buffy! Help me!" Cordelia yelled.

Buffy looked at Cordelia as Eric heaved a surgical saw at her. Buffy neatly caught it by the handle in midair. Eric, ever the coward, flees into a corner, ducking. She turns to Darryl, ignoring Eric. "Daryl, listen, I know who you are. Your brother sent me to stop this."

"He wouldn't do that. He loves me," Darryl said.

"Buffy, they're crazy!" Cordelia said.

Buffy smiled. "It's okay, Cordelia, I'm getting you out of here."

Darryl shook his head. "No, I'm not finished with her." He picked up another blade from the surgical tray and started toward Cordelia.

Buffy ran and somersaults over the table, kicking Daryl back and away from Cordelia. "Don't make me do this, Darryl. Believe me the last time you and I fought. You died in a fire. Please."

Darryl jumps up and punches Buffy hard - she goes flying back into the gurney holding the body, sending it rolling across the room knocking over gas cans.

"Buffy!" Cordelia yelled.

"I won't live alone!" Darryl said. Eric just then made a break for the door as Daryl grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "You have to help me!"

"Let go!" Eric said as Darryl hurled him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

Buffy started toward Cordelia as Daryl lunged at her. She caught him with a roundhouse kick that sent him reeling. He plowed into a table, knocking the bunsen burner to the ground igniting the gas around the table.

"Buffy!" Xander yelled as he ran in.

"Get Cordelia!" Buffy yelled back.

Xander ran over to Cordelia's gurney and started to untie her.

"Darryl," Buffy said. "Please don't make me kill you."

Darryl grabbed a huge bottle of chemicals and hurled it at Buffy. She ducked but the chemicals hit the wall and burst into flame, creating a wall of fire, cutting Xander and Cordelia off from the door.

Buffy grabbed Darryl and threw him bodily into the fire. "Xander! Get out of there. Give a good shove and then jump on the gurney and ride across.

Xander did as Buffy ordered, he grabbed the gurney, giving it a massive shove and dove on top of Cordelia riding the gurney across the flames.

Buffy grabbed Eric and drug him out into the hallway as Xander followed pushing Cordelia's gurney just as Chris came running in followed by Willow, Giles and Ms. Calendar.

"Daryl!" Chris yelled looking at the fire.

"It's too late, Chris. I had to do it, I'm sorry," Buffy said.

Chris looked at Buffy and then nodded sadly.

Fifteen minutes later after being checked over by EMTs they watch as the firefighters put out the blaze.

"The first time he woke up, after ..." Chris said, "he said I shouldn't have brought him back. I was just trying to look out for him. Like he would have done for me."

Buffy nodded understanding the feeling. The same feeling she had for Dawn when she had jumped off Glory's tower. "I understand."

Chris looked at Buffy for a long moment and in that instant he could see in her eyes she did understand. "If I can ask …"

"Someone I love," Buffy said. "And hope to see again someday."

"I am sorry about all this," Giles said to Ms. Calendar.

Ms. Calendar smiled. "That's okay. Although a good rule of thumb for a first date is don't do anything so exciting that it will be hard to top on the second date."

"Believe it or not, since I've moved here to live on top of the Hellmouth, the events of this evening actually qualify as a slow night," Giles said, ruefully. "Did you say, _second date_?"

"Ah, you noticed that too?" Ms. Calendar asked.

Xander and Willow watch Giles and Ms. Calendar together. "Well, I guess that makes it official. Everyone's paired off. Vampires can get dates. Hell, even the school librarian is seeing more action than me," Xander said as he shook his head. "You ever feel like the world is a giant game of musical chairs, and the music has stopped and you're the only one who doesn't have a chair?"

Buffy looked over at Xander and wondered. Had she been chasing the wrong person all those years. First Angel, then Parker, followed by Riley and finally Spike. Was it possible that Xander was the one for her? Except when they had kicked her out of her house, he had stood beside her through thick and thin. He had been a good friend. Was it possible there could have been more if she had tried?

"All the time," Willow answered.

Cordelia stepped up behind Willow and Xander. "Xander, I, uh, just wanted to say thanks for saving my life in there. It was ... really brave and heroic and all. And if there's ever anything I can do to repay you ..."

"Do you mind? We're talking here," Xander said Cordelia turned and walked off. "So, where were we?"

"Wondering why we never seem to have dates," Willow said.

"Oh, yeah. So, why do you think that is?" Xander asked.

That night Buffy sat in her room writing in her journal.

* * *

_I guess something's are just not changeable no matter how hard I try. I truly wanted to save Darryl. Maybe with a good plastic surgeon he could have looked human again. It makes me wonder if it will be possible to change other things or if fate, destiny, God, whatever will make sure some things don't change._

_Though I know some thing's will change. I went by Angel's apartment. He left like he said he was. Originally he didn't leave for another year and half. So that at least gives me hope I can change things for the better. Though I have to wonder if I shouldn't leave some things alone. Like Kendra, I like Kendra. But if she doesn't die, Faith won't be chosen. And if Faith isn't chosen. Will she still go up against that Kakitos or whatever his name was? If she does, will she die? Which is the lesser of two evils? Kendra's death or possibly Faith's? _

_Then there is Oz. I like Oz, he was a good friend. But even I know Oz in the end was just a high school crush. Willow is meant for Tara. Should I try and meddle and steer Willow from Oz and toward Tara? Or should I let history repeat itself so that Willow finds Tara naturally? Or what? I guess those are questions I will have to answer for myself._


	3. Chapter 2: School Hard

**Chapter 2: School Hard**

"A lot of educators tell students think of your principal as your _pal_. I say think of me as your judge, jury and executioner," Snyder said as Buffy and Sheila sat across from him in his office. "Tell me, who do you think is the most troublesome student in this school?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Both of us," she said knowing it the correct answer.

Snyder nodded. "It is quite a match between you two," he said as he opened two thick file folders on his desk. "On the one hand, Buffy hasn't stabbed a horticulture teacher with a trowel, yet."

"I never stabbed anyone with a trowel!" Sheila said as she stabbed the file in front of Snyder with her finger, he involuntarily edged back. "It was pruning shears. It should say pruning shears."

"On the other hand, Sheila's never burned down a school building," Snyder said.

"That was never proven…" Buffy said. "And if you insinuate I did that I will have my mom file charges for slander."

Snyder glared at Buffy and then looked down at the files. "And the two of you seem to be tied in the class-cutting and fight-starting events. You're really neck and neck here. It's very exciting."

"What does the winner get?" Sheila asked.

"Expelled," Snyder said, happily.

Buffy shook her head. "No one gets expelled, Sheila. He can't do it without grounds. There would be no grounds for expulsion. Suspension, yes. Expulsion, no. You see by law he has to teach us," she said as she remembered her own expulsion by Snyder and when she was exonerated how the principal refused to let her back in till her mother had gone to the school board who overruled him.

Snyder glared at Buffy as he continued. "This Thursday is parent teacher night. Your parents—" he looked at Buffy, "—assuming you have any, will meet your teachers—" he looked at Sheila, "—assuming you have any left. I have decided to put you two in charge of this event. You have three days to prepare the refreshments, make the banners, and transform the school lounge into a habitable place for adults. This will incur my goodwill, and may even affect what I tell your parents when I meet them. Are we clear?"

Buffy nodded. "Crystal."

"Good. Because you mess up this time, and your parents will be coming to clean out your lockers," Snyder said with a sneer as he looked at Buffy.

That afternoon after school Buffy walked with Sheila as Xander and Willow approached. " You do your own thing. Just try and make an appearance, okay?"

Sheila looked at Buffy. "You're really? You always seemed like miss goody-two-shoes."

Buffy smiled. "From what I've heard of you, you like to party and that some of your tardiness is because you overslept. I know if I tried to make you work with me you just wouldn't care and probably try and blow it off."

"You're right I probably would have," Sheila said. "I'll try and make an appearance. Thanks for covering."

"No, problem," Buffy said as Sheila walked off.

"Heard Snyder's got you guys making party favors," Xander said.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, his two worst students," she said as she rolled her eyes. She watched Sheila as she thought to herself. _I need to talk to mom, tell her I'm the Slayer now before she finds out later._

That night Buffy walked in through the front door of her house. "Mom! I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen, Buffy," Joyce called back.

Buffy walked down the hall and into the kitchen. "I wanted to let you know that parent/teacher conferences if this Thursday."

"I know, I got the mail," Joyce said. "I was wondering when you were going to mention it."

"I forgot," Buffy said. "Honestly. But I'm telling you now. And before you go in there is one of my teachers you're going to need to talk to in advance before you see the rest of them and Principal Snyder."

"Why?" Joyce asked as she looked at Buffy with concern. "You're not doing something bad are you?"

"No," Buffy said. "It's about those late night study sessions. They weren't exactly study sessions. You see I kind of have a night job. One with no benefits and doesn't pay. One that would explain the fights back in L.A. Before you see the rest of the teachers, I want you to talk to Giles."

"The librarian?" Joyce asked as Buffy nodded.

Joyce sighed. "Alright. When?"

"How about, right now?" Buffy asked.

Joyce nodded and put away the stuff she was planning to fix for dinner and then they drove to the school.

"Giles!" Buffy yelled as she and her mother walked into the library.

Giles came out of his office. "How was patrol?" he asked before noticing Joyce. "Buffy?"

"We're telling her," Buffy said. "I had a dream that said she finds out anyways and would have kicked me out of the house if I had to go do it."

Giles sighed and nodded. "Why don't you sit down Mrs. Summers. This is going to be a difficult conversation."

Joyce looked to Buffy and then moved to the table and sat down.

"Mrs. Summers, Buffy here is the Slayer," Giles started. "She has been chosen to fight vampires, demons and the forces of darkness."

"Vampires?" Joyce asked, skeptical.

"Yes, mom, vampires," Buffy said.

"This world is older than you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise," Giles continued. "For untold eons, Demons walked the earth; made it their home ... their Hell. In time they lost their purchase on this reality, and the way was made for the mortal animals. For Man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges: Certain magicks, certain creatures such as vampires. The books tell that the last Demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed - infected - by the Demon's soul. He bit another, and another... and so they walk the earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the Old Ones to return."

Joyce looked at first Buffy and then Giles and shook her head. "Vampires? You really expect me to believe."

"Mom," Buffy said. "What do you think has been going on for the last two years? The fights, the weird occurrences–how many times have you washed blood out of my clothes?"

Joyce looked at Buffy for a long moment as she thought about all the fights that she had attributed to rival gangs in L.A. What if they hadn't been. What if her daughter was telling the truth.

"Before you say it stops now, mom," Buffy said. "I can't. In every generation there is a chosen one, one girl in all the world. That girl is me. The next one is chosen when the current one dies. If you want proof, come with me tonight. You'll get your proof."

"Buffy," Giles said. "I am not sure that is a wise idea. As it is, just your mom knowing puts her in danger."

"I know," Buffy said. "But she needs to see it for herself before she believes. Just like Willow and Xander did."

Giles sighed and nodded.

An hour later Buffy is fighting a vampire as Giles and Joyce stand ten feet away watching. She roundhouse kicked the vampire sending him flying. She whips out a stake and threw it at the vampire, who managed to sidestep and catch it.

The vampire snapped the stake in half and moved in as Buffy took a defensive posture. He sent Buffy flying with two sidearm blows and a kick to the ground.

Buffy jumped up and landed an uppercut followed by a flying kick that caught the vampire in the jaw. She head butts the vampire as she whipped out a second stake. While the vampire was reeling from the head butt, she drove the stake into his heart and he exploded to dust.

Buffy turned and walked over to her mom and Giles. "Well?"

Joyce looked at the where the vampire had been. She then looked up at Buffy and slowly nodded.

Buffy could tell despite Joyce's seeming acceptance of the supernatural that her mother was in a state of shock.

The next morning Buffy worked on a big banner laid out over a long table as Willow helped her. "So how did your mom take it?" Willow asked.

"She's in a state of shock," Buffy said. "She didn't say much this morning as I left the house. I'm giving it time, hopefully tonight she will be better."

"Don't worry," Xander said. "Remember how Willow and I were when we first found out?" Buffy nodded. "That's the way it is with your mom. She needs time to process it."

Just then Giles and Ms. Calendar walked over to them.

"There's nothing in the Chronicles about an extraneous lunar cycle," Giles said.

Ms. Calendar shook her head. "The Order never accurately calculated the Mesopotamian calendar! Rupert, you have to read something that was published AFTER 1066."

"What's the up, guys?" Xander asked.

"I don't suppose this is something about happy squirrels?" Buffy asked. "Mom is still processing. And I would like to be home tonight."

Giles sighed. "Vampires."

Buffy sighed. "That was my next guess."

"Ms. Calendar has been researching—surfing on her computer. According to her calendar, this Saturday is the Night of Saint Vigeous," Giles said.

Buffy nodded. "I know he led this crusade deal with a lot of vampires."

Giles looked at Buffy wondering where she had read about Saint Vigeous. "Correct. They swept through Edessa, Harran, and points east."

"They didn't leave much behind," Ms. Calendar added.

"So Saturday's kind of a big doo for bloodsuckers," Xander said.

Ms. Calendar nodded. "It's a Holy Night of Attack. They'll come in numbers."

"Once I make sure mom is okay with me being the Slayer," Buffy said. "Then I will start training and preparing."

"Of course," Giles said. "How is she taking it?"

"She was still processing it when I left," Buffy said. "I'm hoping she will be okay tonight." She noted the look Giles had on his face as he and Ms. Calendar quickly headed the other way. She grabbed Willow and Xander's paintbrushes and hid them behind her back. "Hello, Principal Snyder. No Will and Xander aren't helping me. Their hindering. Before you ask I sent Sheila to get some more paint. She should be back in a few minutes."

Snyder glared at Buffy and then moved on down the hall.

"Thanks for covering. Guy's a serious rodent," a voice came as Buffy, Willow and Xander turned to see Sheila standing in the doorway.

"No problem," Buffy said.

That night Buffy stood in front of the Fish Tank and watched as Sheila emerged with two men and headed down the nearby alley.

"All right, which one is Dwayne and which one is Dell—don't tell me, Dell's the one with the tattoo!" Sheila said with a laugh. Behind her and Dell, Buffy grabbed Dwayne and staked him. "You guys weren't lying about havin' a Cadillac, were ya'? Cause I'm crazy about a cad. Just the feel of the leather makes me wanna …" She looked around, looking for Dwayne as Buffy grabbed Dwayne and dusted him. "What happened to your friend? Hey, illustrated man, over here." She then spotted Buffy. "What's going on?"

"Sheila," Buffy said. "You need to go home. Those two were vampires and you almost became their next meal."

Suddenly someone applauded as he stepped out of the shadows causing Buffy and Sheila to spin and face him.

"Nice work, baby," Spike said.

"Hello, Spike," Buffy said as she looked toward Sheila. "Run."

Sheila didn't need any more encouragement as she turned and ran.

"So you know me," Spike said.

"Yeah I know you," Buffy said. "I also know you think you're going to kill me. Not happening."

"We'll see about that. See you Saturday," Spike said as he slid back into the shadows.

An hour later Buffy sat next to her mother at home. "How are you doing, mom?"

"It's been a lot to take in," Joyce said. "But coupled with what I saw last night and what you and Mr. Giles told me. I think I've come to accept that there are vampires and demons and that you have to fight them. You are being careful I hope? You're not taking risks?"

"I'm being, careful," Buffy said. "I'm not dying for a good long time to come."

"That's good," Joyce said as she felt Buffy's arms go around her.

The next morning Buffy walked into the computer lab. "Ms. Calendar?"

Ms. Calendar looked up from her computer and at Buffy. "Buffy is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually there is two things, Janna Kalderash," Buffy said.

"How do you know that name?" Ms. Calendar said.

Buffy smiled. "I had a Slayer dream. In it your people cursed Angel. I learned that you had been sent here to watch him."

"That's right," Ms. Calendar said.

"I need two favors, from you Ms. Calendar. The first is Willow. In another Slayer dream I saw that she learned magic and became addicted to it. I'd like you to teach her," Buffy said.

Ms. Calendar nodded. "I can do that."

"That will also keep you in Sunnydale, now that Angel is no longer here. And I know you want to stay because of Giles."

"Angel's not in Sunnydale anymore?" Ms. Calendar asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No," she said. "He's not. In the Slayer dream I learned of the catch for his curse. One moment of true happiness. If I slept with Angel he would lose his soul. So I broke up with him. And he decided to leave town. He called a couple days ago and said he was in L.A."

Ms. Calendar nodded as she thought about it. Angel was still close enough she could keep an eye out if needed. And now that she knew the catch-22 for Angel's curse she could help him to help others without leaving Sunnydale. "What was the other thing?"

"I need you and Willow to cast the curse to restore a vampire's soul. Before you say that magic has been lost. I know you can find it," Buffy said. "Oh and you'll need an Orb of Thesu something or other."

"Thesulah?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"Yeah that's it," Buffy said. "According to a Slayer dream this vampire Spike will do a lot of good. A lot of that will be without a soul though. He eventually will get one though through a set of trials."

Ms. Calendar nodded. "The demon trials. I've heard of them. Alright I'll see what I can find."

That afternoon Buffy stood at the refreshment table having finished making the lemonade. She smiled to herself as Willow walked up. She had actually remembered to add sugar this time.

"What kind of punch did you make?" Willow asked.

"Lemonade," Buffy said as Willow took a cup. "I made it fresh and everything."

"How much sugar did you use?" Willow asked.

"Don't worry," Buffy said. "I added sugar."

Willow took a sip and this smiled. "It's very good." She looked over Buffy's shoulder. "Hi Mrs. Summers."

"Hi Willow," Joyce said as Buffy turned to face her. "Hi honey. Did you do all this?"

"I did. How 'bout some lemonade?" Buffy said.

Joyce took a cup and took a sip, "It's quite good."

Buffy let out a sigh and leaned into whisper to Joyce. "Mom, Principal Snyder is coming over here. He's going to want to talk to you about my absenteeism. All my tardies were Slayer related, promise."

Joyce nodded as she turned to Principal Snyder as she offers her hand to him. "Hello. I'm Joyce Summers, Buffy's mother."

"Principal Snyder. I'm afraid we need to talk. My office is down here." Snyder smirked as he turned to head for his office.

"I don't think we need to go to your office. If you want to talk about the supposed fights, I see nothing wrong with my daughter defending herself," Joyce said as Snyder turned around to face her. She could see the smirk had disappeared from his face. "And about the absenteeism, she had parental consent. I would be more than welcome to submit that in writing for your files if you like."

Buffy smirked as she thought to herself. _Go, mom._

Snyder glared at Joyce. "That would be most appreciated. He turned and walked away."

"Wow, Mrs. Summers," Willow said.

Joyce looked at Willow and smiled. "I couldn't let that rodent of a man walk all over my daughter who has been trying to make the world safer for everyone else, now could I?"

"Do you know how much I love you, mom?" Buffy asked.

Joyce smiled. "I'm fairly certain I already know," she said.

"Since I'm more or less hostess tonight. Willow will take you to see my teachers," Buffy said. "Just remember some of the low grades are due to not having time to study because of being the Slayer. I do intend to rectify that though, I promise."

"You better be," Joyce said as Willow led her off.

Later that night as everyone mingled, Buffy stood near the refreshments keeping a wary eye out for Spike. Her mother was coming around the corner with Willow just as the sound of breaking glass came from behind her.

Buffy looked at the clock and frowned as she turned around. It was eight-thirty. Spike was a whole fifteen minutes early. As Pandemonium erupts around her she turned to look at Willow and her mom and motion toward the library before turning back toward Spike.

"What can I say? I couldn't wait," Spike said as he made a beeline for Buffy. She grabbed a chair, swung it in a 360 and let it fly. It hit Spike solidly in the head, knocking him back.

"Run!" Buffy yelled as she turned and followed the departing Willow and Joyce toward the library. She watched as Snyder and several parents enter the room across the hall as she, Willow and Joyce dove into the library. She turned and through her wait at the library doors. "Giles!"

Giles and Ms. Calendar quickly moved the card catalogue in front of the door.

"Make sure my mom is safe," Buffy said. "I'll take the vamps in the hall. Snyder and a few parents ran into the room across the hall."

"We'll get them and …" Giles started.

"No," Joyce said as she looked at her daughter. "I'm staying. I'm not leaving Buffy to face them alone."

"Mrs. Summers," Giles said. "You are not a Slayer. You could very well die if you go out there."

"Please, mom," Buffy said. "I'll be fine."

Joyce sighed and nodded.

Buffy grabbed several weapons wishing she had her scythe. Once this was over she decided she was going to get it from the vineyard early. Assuming it was in the vineyard. A couple minutes later she crawled through the ceiling rafters her pack of weapons making little scraping sounds. She dropped down from the ceiling the vampire outside the library door causing him to drop his ax. She quickly whipped out her stake and dusted him before he knew what was going on.

She looked into the room and frowned. Three of the parents were still in there but Snyder and one of the parents were gone. Buffy was sure they were likely dead as she opened the door. "Run into the library. There is a back way out through the stacks," she said as the three remaining parents ran into the library.

Buffy walked to the corner and peered around the corner to find another vampire waiting for her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. Sheila wasn't there. She snuck around the corner and saw the vampire with his back to her. She raised her stake and hurled it catching the vampire in the back and piercing the heart. "Two down. One to go."

Buffy made her way into the lounge to find Spike facing the other way.

"Fe fi fo fum. I smell the blood of a nice ripe girl," Spike said as he turned to face her.

"Do we really need weapons for this?" Buffy asked. She didn't want to kill Spike since she wanted Ms. Calendar to have a chance at finding the ensoulment spell.

"I just like 'em. Make me feel all manly," Spike said as he dropped his weapon. "The last Slayer I killed, she begged for her life. I don't see you as the begging kind."

Buffy smirked. "You're not killing me. Not tonight, not ever. Nikki Wood was the last Slayer you will ever kill."

"We'll see about that," Spike said. He hurled himself at her as he punched at her furiously. He closed in with a vicious combination of punches and kicks.

Buffy smirked inwardly as she pretended like the last one hurt more than it did as Spike went for the big k.o. She perked up and then roundhouse kicked Spike away from the wall. "No two by four to use against me."

Buffy frowned as she watched her mother, despite her best efforts, replay the events she remembered as Joyce hit Spike with the blunt edge of the ax.

Spike crumbled to the ground, totally blindsided as Joyce moved around to stand beside Buffy.

"I thought I asked you to get out," Buffy said.

"I wasn't about to let you take them on by yourself," Joyce said.

Spike looked between Joyce and Buffy. "Women," he said bitterly as he turned and dove out the window, disappearing into the night.

Joyce dropped the ax as Buffy fell into her arms. "I'm proud of you."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks. But I think from now on you need to learn how to wield a few weapons, get in on some of my training sessions with Giles. That way you can at least defend yourself. Not that I probably need to worry about you dying at the hands of a vampire."

"I don't intend to die at the hands of a vampire," Joyce said. "But what your suggesting does make sense. Better to be forewarned then to be clueless."

"Right," Buffy said.

That night Buffy sat at her desk writing in her journal.

* * *

_Dear Dawn,_

_I know this will probably disappear when you are created. But I just wanted to write this down while I am thinking about it. _

_I miss you. And I am sorry for everything leading up to the battle with the First Evil. You had matured so much and I just didn't see it. And I am sorry for that. _

_Just so you know I am looking forward to seeing you again, one day. And this time around I will be a better sister for you. I had promised you that I would show you the world, and I intend this time to do just that._

_I love you._

_Your sister, Buffy._


	4. Chapter 3: Reptile Boy

**Chapter 3: Reptile Boy**

Buffy, Xander, Willow and the the rest of their classmates follow a tour guide through a museum. "I'm so psyched to meet Ampata and live with him for the next two weeks."

"I think the exchange student program is cool," Xander said. "It's the beautiful melding of two cultures."

Cordelia stood near the door talking to her friend as she pointed to the picture of a guy. "There's mine. Sven. Isn't he lunchable? Mine's definitely the best."

"Whatcha looking at?" Buffy asked as she, Willow and Xander approached Cordelia.

"Pictures of our exchange students," Cordelia said as she showed Buffy the picture. "Look. One hundred percent Swedish. One hundred percent gorgeous. One hundred percent staying in my house. Buffy, how's yours? Visually, I mean."

"I don't know," Buffy said remembering that she had never actually seen Ampata the first time around. "Guy-like."

"By _guy-like_, you mean a big, beefy, guy-like girl, right?" Xander asked.

"I was just told _guy_," Buffy said.

"You didn't even look at him first?" Cordelia asked. "He could be dogly! You live on the edge."

"Hold on a sec. This person living in your house for two weeks is a man, with man parts? This is a terrible idea!" Xander said.

Buffy smiled at Xander and nodded to herself. The more she thought about her best friend the more she was right he had been the right person for her. She knew when Xander had first expressed interest, she had been seeing Angel. And with time he had lost interest in going out with her. But he had also stood beside her through her entire time in Sunnydale.

"What about the beautiful melding of two cultures?" Willow asked.

Xander shook his head. "There's no melding. Okay? He can keep his parts to himself." He looked over to Rodney who was doing something they couldn't exactly see. "What's he doing?"

Buffy looked in Rodney's direction and thought for a second. She had to stop him from breaking the plate.

"Rodney Munson. God's gift to the bell curve," Xander said. "What he lacks in smarts, he makes up in lack of smarts."

"You just don't like him 'cause of that time he beat you up every day for five years," Willow said.

"Yeah, I'm irrational that way," Xander said.

"Maybe I should stop him before he breaks something," Buffy said.

Willow smiled. "I got it. The non-violent approach is probably better here."

They watched as Willow went over and talked to Rodney as the tour guide drew their attention.

"We shall now Proceed into the Incan Burial Chamber," he said. "The human sacrifice is about to begin." He turned and led them into the burial chamber exhibit.

"Typical museum trick. Promise human sacrifice, deliver old pots and pans," Xander said looking around.

"500 years ago, the Incan people chose a beautiful teenage girl to become their princess…" the tour guide said.

They climb the steps up to the sarcophagus. "I hope this story ends with, _and she lived happily ever after_," Willow said, a tad bit creeped out.

They look at the mummy standing there as Buffy glanced back at Rodney.

"No. I think the story ends with, _and she became a scary, discolored, shriveled mummy_," Xander said.

"The Incan people sacrificed their princess to the mountain, god, Sebancaya. An offering, buried alive, for eternity in this dark tomb," the tour guide said.

"They could have at least wrapped it in nice white bandages, like the ones in the movies," Willow said.

The tour guide smiled. "The Princess remained there, protected only by a cursed seal, placed there as a warning to any who would wake her." He indicated the plate that Buffy instantly recognized.

Xander turned to face the Cordettes when he heard them giggle. He noticed they were mooning, _ooohing_ and _ahhhing_ over the pictures of their exchange students. "So, Buffy, when's exchange-o boy making his appearance?"

"His name is Ampata. He's showing up at the bus station tomorrow night," Buffy said.

"Ooh, Sunnydale bus depot. Classy. What better way to say _Welcome to Our Country_ than with the stench of urine," Xander said as the tour guide motioned for everyone to follow him.

"If you'll follow me this way…" the tour guide said as Buffy hung out in the shadows as everyone else left.

Once everyone was gone Rodney creeped out of the shadows on the opposite side of the room. He looked at the mummy and the plate. "Cool…" He started to grab the plate.

"Stop!" Buffy said as she stepped out of the shadows. "Rodney you don't want to even touch that plate."

"Why?" Rodney asked as he looked at Buffy.

"The curse is real," Buffy said. "If you break the plate, and its likely you would trying to get it out, the mummy would awaken and would make you its first victim in the process."

Rodney looked long and hard at Buffy. He had heard the rumors that everything freaky related happened around her. He then looked back at the mummy and the plate and decided not to risk it. He turned and headed in the direction everyone else had gone.

"Thank you."

Buffy turned and face the guardian. "You're welcome. You need to insure no one can touch the plate."

"I know."

Buffy nodded and she turned and followed everyone else out of the room.

A week later Buffy stood in the woods behind the Frat house. She was sure the girl would run past her to get away from the frat boys. So she intended to rescue the girl and then go after reptile boy. She spotted the girl as she ran past her.

Buffy smirked as she stepped out from her hiding place and knocked several hooded figures to the ground. "Stop worshiping reptile boy, let him starve to death. If you don't I will take the matter into my own hands.

Buffy turned and ran in the direction the girl had ran. She spotted the girl twenty feet ahead of her just as another hooded figure stepped out and grabbed the girl, who screamed.

"Callie… Where are you going?"

Buffy ran up and jumped on the hooded figure knocking his hood off to reveal a twenty year old man." As I told your friends, quit worshiping reptile boy and let him starve to death or I will come to your frat house and kill him myself.

Buffy got off the man and pulled Callie up and toward the nearby road.

The next morning Buffy and Willow headed up a set of stairs at Sunnydale High. "You dreamt about Xander?"

Buffy had given Willow the false dream to try and ascertain if her friend would be okay with her dating Xander. She wanted to make sure Willow would be okay with it before she said something to Xander. "Yeah I did."

"What did he do in the dream?" Willow asked.

"Stuff," Buffy said.

"Stuff?" Willow asked. "Like one of those vivid dreams where you could feel his lips and smell his hair?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Tell me now, Will. Do you think its weird I'm dreaming about Xander?"

"But what about Angel?" Willow asked, deflecting the question.

"I'm not in love with Angel," Buffy said. "Not anymore. So?"

Willow sighed. "You know how I feel about Xander, Buffy."

"And that's why I'm asking what you think," Buffy said. "I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."

"There's not," Willow said. "I understand now that no matter how much I try, Xander will never see me as anything more than the childhood friend."

Buffy sighed. "Will."

"I'm not going to say it won't be awkward since you know how I feel about Xander," Willow said. "But if you want to date Xander, I would be happy for you."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks, Will."

"You didn't have a dream did you," Willow asked. "You just wanted to see my thoughts on your dating Xander."

"No," Buffy said. "I didn't have a dream. And yes I just wanted to see what you thought about my dating him without coming out and actually saying it. I didn't want to hurt your feelings since I knew you liked Xander."

"Thank, Buffy," Willow said.

"Oops, I told Giles I'd meet him in the Library ten minutes ago," Buffy said as she ran to the library.

"Just because the paranormal has been more normal and less… para lately, that is no excuse for tardiness or letting your guard down," Giles said as Buffy walked in.

"I haven't let my guard down," she said.

"Oh really? You yawned your way through weapons training last week, you skipped hand to hand entirely – I suppose you're prepared if some demon springs up behind you and does this!?" Giles said as he swung at her from behind.

Buffy's hand shoots backwards, grabs Giles' wrist as she pivots and whips Giles' hand around behind his back, in a painful arm lock.

"Yes, well, I'm no demon…" Giles said. "…which is why you should let go now." He massages his wrist when she lets go.

Buffy smirked as she looked at her watcher. Not only did she remember what's coming in the next 6 years. But she remembered all the training sessions in those same six years. If this had been her first go around then she might have reacted differently.

"When you live atop a mystical convergence it's only a matter of time before a fresh hell breaks loose. Now is the time to train more strictly, hunt and patrol more keenly, hone your skills day and night –" Giles said.

"I do," Buffy said. "Mom has graciously set me up a bag in the basement. But I do have to balance everything. Mom really wants to see an improvement in my grades and to tell the truth so do I. But I do train when I get home."

Giles nodded. "How is your mother?" he asked.

"After Spike showed up at parent teacher's night. We thought it might be a good idea if she joined in on my training sessions," Buffy said as Giles looked at her. "Not to help me slay. But you know so she can defend herself. Get some hand to hand and maybe some weapons training, just so if she is ever caught going home from work or anyplace else she can have the knowledge to get away from the vamp."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Buffy," Giles said. "It wouldn't hurt if Willow and Xander did the same. That way they are all prepared just in case."

That afternoon Buffy walked with Xander and Willow toward the library.

"He actually agreed that your mom, Willow and I should train with you," Xander asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yep. He thought it was a good idea that everyone should know how to defend themselves against a vampire. Enough anyways that you can lay in a few good punches and then run the otherway. I don't want you guys or my mom going up against vampires without me there. But knowing how to protect yourselves should one come a calling."

"Right," Xander said as they walked outside to see Cordelia talking to a couple of guys next to their car. Buffy instantly recognized them as the leader and one of his followers from the frat house.

She watched as the follower looked up at her and then back at Cordelia who turned and looked at Buffy.

"Okay so tonight, Channel fifty nine, Indian T.V.—sex, lies and incomprehensible story lines—I'll bring the beetle nuts," Xander said.

"Come on," Cordelia said as she walked up to Buffy and grabbed her by the arm, "Richard and his fraternity brothers want to meet you."

Buffy rolled their eyes. "We've already met when they tried sacrificing a girl to this reptile demon."

Cordelia stopped and looked at Buffy. "What?"

"It's true," Buffy said. "I saved her from them last night. Told them to let reptile boy starve to death. Guess they don't take much of a hint." She turned and walked over to the leader and his follower. "I warned you last night. Tonight I kill it." She turned and walked back toward Willow and Xander. "I'm going to have to say no to tonight's movie fest, Xander. Got to slay something. Raincheck?"

Xander nodded. "Sure."

Buffy turned and walked off.

That night she walked up to the frat house and after looking for a way in she found a trellis and climbed to the second floor. She stealthily made her way down the stairs where she saw two guys. She moved quickly and kicked them both knocking them down. She grabbed one of them in a sleeper hold and he fell unconscious as the other was getting back up.

He charged Buffy who sidestepped him and helped run his head into a banister, knocking him out.

Buffy heads for the as more of the frat guys come up the stairs. She decks them as she heads down the stairs.

The leader attacked her with a sword as she scrambled away from him. "You … bitch. I'll serve you to him in pieces!" He swung hard.

Buffy ducked and countered as she grabbed the sword and thrust it backwards into his face causing him to release the sword as he staggered back. She then hit him in the side of the head with a spin-kick. He flew backward, tripping on the alter and falling to the ground. Down and out.

"Hellllppppp!" One of the captured girls yell.

Buffy jumps up onto the well, sword held above her head. "Back off, wormy!" Machida roared at her as brought the sword down hard and fast on the middle of Machida's snake body, cutting him in half.

The girl fell to the floor, safe.

Buffy helped the girl up and smiled. "I highly suggest you press charges. But leave out the part about the demon when you do."

The girls each nod in agreement.

Tom comes to near the alter.

"You're going to jail for about fifteen thousand years," one of the girls said. "Oh god, it's over … it's really …"

A week later, Ampata is spending one last night with Buffy, Xander and Willow before he returns home the next day.

Xander studied a newspaper. "Says here they'll all get consecutive life sentences: investigators found bones of missing girls in a huge cavern beneath the D.Z house … and other bones dating back fifty years …"

"So what did you do with the snake?" Willow asked.

"Burned it," Buffy said.

"A surprising number of corporations whose Chairmen and Founders are former Delta Zetas are suffering falling profits, I.R.S raids and suicides in the board room…" Xander read. "Kill a snake, lose a fortune. Boy, the rich really are different."

Ampata pulled Buffy aside just then. "This has been the most illuminating two weeks of my life. What you and your friends face gives me new hope that tomorrow will be better than today."

"That's nice," Buffy said.

"That said. When are you going to tell him?" Ampata asked as Buffy looked at him. "I have seen how you look at Xander when you think he is not looking. You should tell him."

"I know," Buffy said. "First there is something I need to do."

That night Buffy sat at her desk writing in her journal.

* * *

Dear Dawn,

I've decided to turn my journal into letters for you to read when your created. I stopped the Inca Mummy from resurrecting and I stopped both myself and Cordelia from being captured by the Frat guys. Though they went after three more girls to sacrifice since they didn't have me, Cordelia or the girl I rescued the other night. So I still had to kill the snake demon.

Ampata returns home tomorrow and he told me I should talk to Xander about how I feel about him. I remember you had a crush on him and I wonder if you still when you're created. I don't know.

I miss you, Dawnie. Every day I think about you and wish you were here with me. I can't wait to see you.

Love your big sister,

Buffy


	5. Chapter 4: Halloween-Lie to Me

**Chapter 4: Halloween/Lie to Me**

Buffy fell on a jack-o'-lantern, crushing it before grabbing a baby pumpkin and hurling it at a vampire. The pumpkin hit the vampire in the face, momentarily throwing him off his game. She jumped up and threw her stake at the vampire, who caught it.

The vampire snapped the stake in half and moved in as Buffy took a defensive posture as the vampire hit and kicked her, sending her back to the ground.

Buffy jumped back up as she hit and kicked the vampire in the jaw. She then head butted the vampire and with a swift kick sent him headlong into a pile of pumpkins. She grabbed a nearby sign and broke it in half as she drove the jagged remains deep into the vampire's chest.

The next day Buffy, Xander and Willow walked past the recruitment table for the volunteer program. With the fact that Snyder had been killed on Parent/Teacher night, the volunteers for Halloween were just that volunteer. Buffy looked at Willow and Xander and smiled as she moved over to the volunteer table and signed up. She did this for two reasons; one she deemed it a good cause, and two she could take care of Ethan Rayne before he even cast his spell.

"You signed up," Xander said surprised. "Why?"

"Well it's a good cause," Buffy said before lowering her voice to a whisper. "Second I had a Slayer dream. Normally Halloween is dead for the undead. But this sorcerer intends to change that. I figure I can kill two birds with one stone."

Willow and Xander looked at each other and then nodded. They of course intended to help Buffy, besides helping out the kids was a good cause. They moved and signed up as well.

A few moments later they walked past a soda machine. Xander stopped and dropped in a couple quarters, after hitting his selection nothing came out.

Just then Larry slammed a meaty hand on Xander. "Harris."

"Larry. Looking very cro mag, as usual. What can I do for you?" Xander said.

Larry glanced at Buffy and Willow, whom Xander noticed were sitting and talking on one of the couches. "You and Buffy - you're just friends, right?"

"I like to think of it less as a friendship and more as a solid foundation for future bliss," Xander said.

Buffy glanced over at Larry and Xander and rolled her eyes. She remembered how Xander had taken her saving him. She excused herself and walked toward the boys.

"So she's not your girlfriend?" Larry asked, impatiently.

Xander shook his head. "Alas, no."

"Maybe, not yet. But it has been my hope that Xander would ask me out." Buffy said as Xander looked at her.

"Really?" Xander asked. "But, Angel?"

"You know Angel and I are no longer together, Xander," Buffy said. "And your one of my best buds."

Xander looked at Larry as he draped his arm around Buffy.

Larry looked between Xander and Buffy and then walked off.

"Wow thank you," Xander said. "You actually just gave me some street cred."

"I wasn't lying, Xander," Buffy said. "I have been waiting for you to ask me out again."

"How about after our volunteer time on Halloween is over, we go out to the Bronze?" Xander asked.

Buffy smiled. "I'd like that."

That night Buffy tried talking Xander and Willow into going to Party Town. But both of them had said that Ethan's was cheaper than Party Town and might be able to afford a costume from Ethan's.

So Buffy went alone to Party Town and looked for a costume. She sometimes wished she had told her friends she was from the future for stuff like this so they knew why she did stuff. But telling them would end up of the bad. Buffy smiled as she spotted a costume and remembered how Xander had said he liked his women in Spandex. While she had always hated the remark and how he had changed his tune when he had seen her in the dress she had got to impress Angel. This time though she wanted to impress Xander and what better way than to dress up as a comic book character.

The next day Ethan lit several black candles that circled an altar as he heard the front door bashed open. "We're closed," he called out. "And that door was supposed to be locked, so I'm calling the police."

"The police," said a voice behind him. "Are the least of your concerns."

He turned to see a blonde woman who smiled at him.

"Hi, I'm Buffy. The Slayer. And I had this nice little Slayer dream that told me you were going to turn everyone into their costumes. Not happening," Buffy said. "The easiest would be if you were nice and told me what to destroy so you can't perform your spell. Or I can resort to the physical."

Ethan knew what the Slayer was capable of. But he also knew the Slayer would not kill humans. "How about I take door number three and you leave."

Buffy smirked. "Wrong answer. You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this." She reeled back and hit Ethan squarely in the face knocking him back. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I didn't see you turning everyone into their costumes in a Slayer dream. I actually lived it. The first time around I was one of your victims, bought an 18th century gown and got turned into this noble woman who almost died at the hands of a vampire. So believe me when I say I'm pissed off at you. And will hurt you."

Ethan looked up at Buffy and could see the fury in her eyes. He was brave but only to a point and he knew it. When it came to his life he knew he was a coward and would always try and preserve his own life. Whether he believed this Slayer was actually from the future or not did not matter. He valued his own life enough not to risk what she might do. "Break the statue. Without it I can't do the ritual."

Buffy grabbed the statue and lifted it above her head and then threw it down hard. As it landed on the floor it shattered into several pieces. "That better be the only one, Ethan. Or I will be returning and I will lay on the hurt. My advice leave town. Don't come back. And by the way when you start having the dreams about Eyghon don't come to Giles looking to save your butt. He won't. Let me worry about Eyghon, I'll see that it's destroyed."

Ethan nodded and watched as Buffy left. He then looked around the room and sighed. Busts of Janus were not cheap. He had dropped a lot of money into the costumes, store rental and that bust. At least he had recouped the costumes and store rental. Still he wished had been able to afford a second bust.

That afternoon Buffy stood in her Rogue costume in front of the mirror and nodded. The spandex costume hugged all the right curves.

"Where are you meeting Xander?" Willow called from across the hall.

"The Bronze," Buffy said. "After trick-or-treating. Are you sure you don't mind that he and I are going out. I know you like him."

"I'm sure Buffy," Willow said. "If it couldn't be me. I'm happy it is you. What changed your mind anyways? I thought you didn't see Xander that way."

"A lot of the small things," Buffy said. "He's a good friend. He knows about the supernatural. We've been through a lot together." She smiled as she thought to herself. '_A lot. As I told Xander when I tried to get him to take Dawn away from Sunnydale. He is my rock. He and you both got me through a lot of dark times.'_

"Does he know about your costume?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. I wanted it to be a surprise. Come on out, Will. You can't stay in there all night."

"Okay. But don't laugh," Willow said as Buffy turned to face the door to the hall.

"I won't—," Buffy said as Willow emerged from the bathroom. She smiled. The first thing she had done was rip up the ghost costume, giving Willow no excuse but to wear the costume she put together for Willow. "Wow. Will. You're a dish! I mean, really—"

"But this just isn't me," Willow said as she looked at the torn up ghost costume.

"That's the point! Halloween is the night that's not you, is you, but not you, you know?" Buffy said as the doorbell rang. "That's Xander. You ready?"

"Yeah. Okay," Willow said, uncertainly.

"Cool! I can't wait to watch the boys go non-verbal when they see you," Buffy said. _'Or in particular, Oz,'_ she thought. She had decided to let fate take its course with Oz and Willow. She reasoned that Willow might not have fallen for Tara if not for what happened with Oz. So to try and steer Willow straight to Tara might not have worked out in the long run.

Buffy turned and walked down the stairs and opened the door to find Xander standing there waiting.

"Private Harris. Reporting for—" Xander said as he saluted. He looked Buffy, stunned by what he saw. "You made my day you know that?"

Buffy smiled and nodded. "I know. Hey wait till you see –"

"Hi..." Willow called out nervously as Buffy and Xander turned to look at her.

"Wow," Xander said. "That's definitely not your traditional ghost costume."

"I tore that up," Buffy said. "Then picked something that would show her off. Make the boys go gaga."

"Well their definitely going to go gaga," Xander said. "Believe me. If I hadn't asked you out Buffy, I might have gone gaga."

"Really?" Willow asked as Xander nodded.

That evening at the Bronze after trick or treating was over. Buffy smiled as she danced next to Xander. She remembered one time she had danced with him, when she was depressed that the Master had killed her. She had regretted later treating Xander during that time the way she had treated him, "So," she said. "Having a good time?"

"The best," Xander said.

The next day Buffy walked down the hall of Sunnydale High with Willow, a smile on her lips. "So how was your date?" Willow asked.

"Heavenly," Buffy replied.

"What's heavenly?" Xander asked as he walked up behind them.

"Our date," Buffy said.

Xander smiled. "You thought it was heavenly?" he asked as Buffy nodded.

"I had a good time," Buffy said.

"How about we all go to the Bronze, tonight," Xander suggested. "So Willow can have some heavenly time?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Willow offered.

"You're our friend, Will," Buffy said. "You're not intruding."

"So little Buffy Summers is passed her crush on me," someone said.

Buffy knew that voice and knew why he was there. Not that it was going to happen. She spun to face him as she plastered a smile on her face. "Ford?"

Ford smiled and hugged Buffy. "Hey, Summers. How you been?"

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, already knowing the answer. To get turned into a vampire and kill her.

"Matriculating," Ford lied.

"So your finishing your senior year here?" Buffy asked, knowing that Ford wasn't even enrolled.

Ford nodded. "Dad got transferred."

"So, you two know each other?" Xander asked as he draped his arm around Buffy protectively.

Buffy smiled at Xander's jealousy. "This is Ford. Uh, Billy Fordham. This is Xander and Willow."

"Hi," Xander said.

"Hey," Ford said.

Willow smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Ford and I went to Hemery together, in L.A.," Buffy said.

"So you guys were sweeties?" Willow asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Back in the fifth grade. And not even remotely. Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth grader, couldn't be bothered with someone that young," Ford said.

"It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song, _I touch myself_," Buffy said. "Of course, I had no idea what it was about."

Willow nodded. "It's fun to meet someone who knew Buffy from before she was the—" she stopped when she noted Buffy's glare. "The here-being girl."

"Yeah, it's fun," Xander said, less than enthused.

"Ford," Buffy said. "I know the real reason you're here."

"You do?" Ford asked.

"You're dying," Buffy said. "Tumor. Your dad called all your old friends looking for you when you didn't come home from school. I know that you know who I am. And that you think your going to feed me to a vamp so he or she can make you immortal so that you won't die. Newsflash, doesn't work that way. I know you would rather be a soulless creature than be dead. I wish I could help you, but there is nothing I can do."

Ford sighed. "I got maybe six months left and by then what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled and it'll smell bad. Not human. I'm not going out that way."

"What if we offered to help," Buffy said. "Find a way to try and cure you. We have this friend who might know of a way."

"There is no way," Giles said ten minutes later as he looked at Ford. "The medical and the mystical aren't supposed to mix. We could make things worse."

Ford sighed. "Sir, I don't want to die that way is there is anything you can do?"

"There is one," Giles said. "If your set on your course, it will be quick and painless. You wouldn't have to go through it all."

Ford nodded. "Anything would be better than the slow death." He looked at Buffy. "I guess this is goodbye if I get what he is saying. You know if you didn't have a boyfriend I would have gone out with you now."

Buffy smiled. "I would have liked that." She looked to Giles and nodded. "Goodbye, Ford." She turned and left the library to find Willow and Xander.

Giles nodded as he handed a piece of paper to Ford. "Meet me here tonight."

"Thank you," Ford said.

Two days later the last rays of the sun glanced off the trees as Buffy stood at Ford's grave, Giles beside her. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say," she said.

"You don't need to say anything," Giles said.

"Despite in the end he agreed to try and find another way without becoming a vamp. I think it would have been easier if he had become a vampire," Buffy said.

"That way you could have staked him, knowing it wasn't your friend?" Giles asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Knowing that I let you kill him. Let Ripper loose."

"Ripper?" Giles said. "How do you know about that?"

"I've been lying to you, Xander and Willow since I died in the Master's cave," Buffy said. "All the Slayer dreams I've been having. They weren't Slayer dreams. They were memories. Future memories. Giles I'm from six years in the future. There was this big battle and I fell into the Hellmouth and somehow I was transported back in time to the first time I was near the Hellmouth, when I was in the Master's cave."

Giles nodded as he listened. It made sense to him. How she had known about the revivication ritual. How she knew he used to be called Ripper. "Why tell me now?"

"Because knowing what's coming," Buffy said. "It's a huge burden and I just need someone to talk sometimes."

"You could talk to Willow and Xander," Giles suggested.

"They can't know," Buffy said. "They can never know. I can see two outcomes to their knowing. They wouldn't believe me or they would. And if they do believe me they would pepper me with questions about their future. It's bad enough I know. I didn't want anyone else to have this burden." She looked to Giles. "So the question now is why do you believe me?"

"There have been several things that you should not have known but do. Such as the revivication ritual. I know I never mentioned it to you and you rarely look through the books," Giles said. "Put two and two together and you knowing your past, my future, is the only way to explain that knowledge. You lived it. I will not ask you questions about the future of course. No one should know their own destiny. But maybe that is why you were sent back. To change our destinies."

"That's what I thought too," Buffy said.

That night Buffy wrote in her journal.

* * *

_Dear Dawn,_

_It has been a harrowing few days. I guess Xander and I are officially dating. I hope you don't hate me for that. And I got Ford killed. It was the humane thing to do. I didn't tell Giles this but after I suggested mystically helping Ford. I remembered when mom got sick with her tumor and Giles saying the medical and mystical aren't supposed to mix. So Giles killing Ford was the most humane thing to do, even though I hated Giles doing it._

_I wish you were here right now. I could use a little sisterly comfort._

_Love,_

_Buffy_

* * *

"I'm always here, Buffy."

"Dawn?" Buffy asked as she looked around but didn't see her sister anywhere.

"Yes," Dawn said. "Did you forget I was made from you?"

"Where are you?" Buffy asked.

"In your head," Dawn said. "When you fell into the Hellmouth I was sucked into a portal. Since there was no body to put me into. The Powers put me someplace where I could wait till the monks created my body. In you."

Tears began to stream down Buffy's face. "I've missed you, Dawnie."

"I've missed you too," Dawn said.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Is Dawn a figment of Buffy's imagination? Or is she really inside Buffy's head waiting for her body to be created by the monks.


	6. Chapter 5: Dark Age-Ted

**Chapter 5: Dark Age/Ted**

Buffy lay in bed looking up at the ceiling.

"Buffy?" Dawn said.

"Yeah," Buffy replied.

"I'm sorry, for kicking you out," Dawn said. "You know just before the battle with the First Evil."

"I know Dawn," Buffy said. "And I'm sorry. I promised that I would show you the world. And what did I do, I tried to ship you off with Xander when I should have had you fight at my side. You may not have been a potential but you are my sister and deserved that right. If we were going out, we should have been going out together."

"That's sweet, Buffy," Dawn said. "I hope we get to see the world this time."

"We will," Buffy said. "I promise, we will see the world together."

That next morning Buffy was on the phone. "Angel, I need you to come to Sunnydale. There is this demon and I will need your help to kill it."

"I'll be there tonight," Angel said.

That night Philip Henry walked through the Sunnydale High campus.

"Can I help you?"

Philip turned to see a blond walking toward him followed by a man.

"Rupert Giles. I need to see him..." Philip said.

"This way," the blond said. "I'm Buffy Summers, btw and this is Angel. I'm one of Giles students and his friends. We know about Eyghon. It's after you isn't it."

Yes," Philip said.

"Follow me," Buffy said as they made their way across the campus.

Suddenly they heard a sticky, sickening sound, as something moved in the darkness. Philip looked behind him and saw a woman move out of the shadows.

"Oh God ..." Philip said as he recognized the woman. "... Deirdre?"

Deirdre smiled as she advanced on Philip.

Buffy looked to Angel. "I'm going to let it take me. Once it's inside me I need you to choke me. Not enough to kill me but enough to make the demon believe it's life is in danger and leap into you."

Angel nodded in understanding. "Then my demon and that demon will fight and mine will win, destroying it."

"Exactly," Buffy said as she moved toward Deidre and began pounding on her. It doesn't have much effect on her as Deidre turns her wrath on Buffy.

Deidre lunged at Buffy who ducked under the woman and kicked her back. Deidre lunged at Buffy again and kicked her and then hurled her into the wall.

Buffy punched and kicked Deidre and moved in for the killing blow as Deidre began to shake. Deidre dissolves into goo and the liquid moved across the grown toward Buffy who stepped into it causing her to twitch.

Then Buffy/Eyghon turned toward Philip and smiled evily. "**Now you die."**

Angel grabbed Buffy/Eyghon and began strangling the life out of her. Buffy/Eyghon clawed at Angel's hands as she gasped for breath. She looked up at Angel and their eyes locked. Buffy/Eyghon then howled out in pain as Angel is thrown off her.

Buffy rolled away, coughing as Angel cried out. She looked over at him and saw his eyes glowed. Eyghon was inside him.

"What's going on?" Philip asked.

"We're killing Eyghon," Buffy said. "Giles is in the library." She motioned toward the library door. "Waiting for you. He will explain everything."

Philip nodded and ran.

Angel's face morphed as it alternated between Eyghon, his vampiric face and his normal face. Buffy can tell that there is an internal struggle going on.

Finally, Eyghon screamed out and faded away as Angel fell to the ground.

Buffy rushed over Angel and helped him to sit up. "You okay?"

Angel smiled and nodded. "Yes. That was a smart plan. You knew I had a demon inside me for a couple hundred years just waiting for a good fight."

"Yes," Buffy said.

That night Buffy once again lay in bed looking up at the ceiling.

"That was a good thing you did for Ms. Calendar," Dawn said. "Making sure Eyghon did not inhabit her."

Buffy smiled. "I know. Giles and Ms. Calendar are one relationship I hope works out."

"I agree," Dawn said.

The next morning Buffy sat with Willow. "I'm on a beach. Not an American beach—one of those island beaches where the water is way too blue. It's just before sunset, I'm lying on a towel and Xander is massaging my feet."

"Wow," Willow said. "You really do like Xander."

Buffy hadn't realized that she had said Xander till Willow remarked on it. Thinking back she had to agree that she did like Xander that much. "Guess so."

"So it's my turn, right?" Willow asked. "Uh, I'm in Florence, Italy. I've rented a scooter which is parked outside. I'm in a little restaurant having ziti and there's no more tables so they have to seat this guy with me and it's John Cusack."

Buffy smiled. "Very impressive. An eye for detail."

"'Cause, with the ziti," Willow said, excitedly.

"What are you guys up to?" Xander asked as he joined them.

"Just having a quick game of _Anywhere But Here_," Buffy said as she gave him a meaningful look.

Xander smiled at Buffy understanding full well what the look meant, don't tick off your girlfriend. "Buffy Summers at the waterslide park."

"That's different," Willow said. "Normally it's Amy Yip."

"Well I am dating now aren't I?" Xander asked as Buffy nodded.

Just then they saw Giles lecturing a student by the door.

"You think Giles ever played _Anywhere But Here_ in school?" Willow asked.

"Giles lived for school. He's still bitter there were only twelve grades," Xander said.

Buffy laughed as she remembered what she had said originally. "He probably sat in math class thinking, _There should be more math! This could be mathier_," she said as she mentally heard Dawn laugh.

"Good one, Buffy," Dawn said as Buffy looked at Willow and Xander wondering if they had heard her. "Only you can hear me. Remember I'm in your head."

"You don't think he ever got restless when he was little?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled. "Are you kidding? His diapers were tweed," she said as they met up with Giles. "Yes I remember we're meeting up tonight at the hospital. We need to make sure that's done quick though. I have something else I need to do."

That night at the Hospital Buffy and Giles were waiting. "What's the plan?" Giles asked.

"I will take care of those two," Buffy said as she motioned toward the waiting vampires by the loading dock. Once their dead. You get the blood inside."

Giles nodded. "How did this go down before?"

"Simple," Buffy said. "I was alone, you were at home trying to find out if Eyghon had killed your friends. I killed the vampires with Angel's help. Of course Angel is not here. He went back to L.A. after he helped destroy Eyghon and save your friend Philip's life."

"Which I thank you for," Giles said. "I never wanted you to know about that side of me. I didn't want it to tarnish how you looked at me."

"I know," Buffy said. "And it didn't. There was only two times I had doubts about you. One was during my Cruciamentum. And let's not do that again."

"I take it bad was not even the start of it," Giles said.

"No," Buffy said. "The vampire I went up against kidnapped mom. And of course Travers being who he is. Well, he stood by and let her get kidnapped. I don't intend to let that happen again."

Giles was the first to spot the medical van approach. "Here it comes."

Buffy and Giles watched as the driver got out and handed the vampires a cooler full of packets of blood. The driver after having the vampires sign got back in his car in drove away.

Buffy raised her crossbow and fired at the vampire kneeling in front of the cooler with deadly accuracy as the vampire dusted. The second vampire looked up just as Buffy traded crossbows with Giles and fired the second hitting the second vampire in the chest dusting him as well.

"Get the blood to the hospital," Buffy said as she took the crossbow and headed down the alley toward a waiting vehicle.

The driver of the car spotted Buffy and gunned his engine taking off. As Buffy dove out of the way of the car heading straight for her, she fired the crossbow. The arrow shattered the windshield and found its mark as the vampire dusted the car slowly came to a stop.

"Well?" Giles asked having just returned from dropping off the blood.

"Gone," Buffy said as she got into the car and searched it. She came up with the title in the glove compartment.

"Quite unusual for a vamp to actually own a car," Giles and Dawn said at the same time.

"I know," Buffy said as she started the engine.

"Buffy do you have a license?" Giles asked.

"Not in this time period," Buffy said.

"When did you get your license?" Dawn asked.

"Just after mom passed away," Buffy muttered to herself and Dawn.

"So you know how to drive?" Giles asked as Buffy nodded. "Well since all it would take is signing the vampire's name to the title. You could own it, legally. I can see the benefit to being able to drive. You could get to patrol routes quicker."

"Your right," Buffy said. "I just have to talk mom into it."

"My apartment is two blocks away. Drive it there and park it till you talk to your mother," Giles said.

"Thanks," Buffy said as she drove off.

"You're not going to Giles apartment straight away are you?" Dawn asked.

"No," Buffy said. "I have to stop Ted, first."

"Good," Dawn said. "I may not have been created yet. But I still have the memories and what he did to you and mom was …"

"I know," Buffy said as she pulled into a parking spot in front of the abandoned storefront.

"How do you know where he lived?" Dawn asked.

"Willow and Xander told me afterward. So I could make sure there was no possibility of Ted coming back again," Buffy said as she picked up a brick and smashed the window before reaching in and opening the door.

"Do you think he's here?" Dawn asked.

"I hope so," Buffy said as she entered the building and switched on the light.

"Are you sure Willow was right?" Dawn asked. "This place doesn't look like its been used in years."

"She said there was a trapdoor beneath the rug," Buffy said as she pulled up the corner of the rug and found the trapdoor.

"How are you going to stop him?" Dawn asked.

Buffy smiled as she pulled out a taser. "He's a robot this should slow him down at least. Long enough to find a weapon. I hit him repeatedly with a cast iron skillet. And he seemed fond of them. Maybe he has one."

"That's a possibility," Dawn said as Buffy opened the trapdoor and started down the stairs.

"Who are you?" Ted asked when he looked up from the couch at the stairs.

"I'm your end, Mr. Roboto," Buffy said. "No courting my mom for you."

Ted stood and made his way toward Buffy as she fired the Taser. He began to jerk for a moment as Buffy ran to the kitchen and opened cabinets. He brushed the leads of the Taser off and turned toward her. "That wasn't nice."

Buffy smirked as she brought up a cast iron skillet. "No it probably wasn't. But since you're a robot. I don't care." She waited as Ted came around the kitchen counter that separated the living area from the kitchen and then she swung the skillet; once, twice, a third time before Ted went down.

Buffy waited for an hour sitting there. When she was sure he wasn't going to come back she dragged Ted, who surprisingly wasn't any heavier than a normal man, out to the car and threw him in the back. She drove across town and out to an empty field. She dug a grave with a shovel she found at Ted's and then dumped him in it. Before covering him over she burned what was left to make further sure there would be no chance Ted would come back and then covered him up.

When Buffy finally arrived at Giles apartment, Giles was waiting for her and so was Joyce.

"I had to call your mother when you weren't here. Where did you go?" Giles said.

"I had to take care of something Slayer related," Buffy said.

"And young lady you are driving with a license. Do you know what would have happened if you had gotten caught?" Joyce said.

"I know mom," Buffy said. "I plan on taking the driving test tomorrow morning and then I was going to talk to you about this car."

Joyce sighed. "And we were going to wait to have that discussion till you were eighteen."

"Joyce," Giles said. "I do not mean to overstep my bounds. And I do understand your worries about Buffy behind the wheel of a car. It can be just as dangerous as being the Slayer, sometimes more so. But her driving would help with her slaying. Think about it. She would not be out as late as walking to her patrol route would take longer than driving. On top of that she would have extra time to actually do stuff for you if she didn't have to leave earlier to get her patrol in."

Joyce let out another sigh and then nodded. "You do make a good point, Rupert. Alright, Buffy. If you pass your test tomorrow. You can drive after two weeks with no car. Besides I do have to get the car transferred into our names and insurance on it. Do I even want to know how you got this car?"

"Vampire," Buffy said as she handed the title to Joyce. "Probably wouldn't hurt to have the inside cleaned. It does smell a little like they may have killed someone in it."

"Isn't it odd that a vampire would legally own a car?" Joyce asked.

"That was my thinking as well," Giles said. "It's a possibility that the vampire in question forged the driver's license and assumed the owner's identity after he killed the owner."

"Okay," Joyce said. "Let's go home, Buffy. I'll pick up the car tomorrow, Rupert."

* * *

**Author's Note:** First off guest reviews are not approved. Got kind of tired of guest reviewers doing nothing but complaining. Second off A guest reviewer mentioned Buffy not dying in the Master's cave. Buffy did die in the Master's cave. Well Buffy 1997 died. And instead of Buffy 1997 being revived by Xander in the Master's cave, Buffy 2003 was revived. The prologue takes place seconds after Xander has revived her. Which also means Kendra was indeed called. Whether Faith is called will be determined by whether Kendra is killed. We know that with the changes already made to the timeline that Angelus won't waken Acathla. Which means he won't send Drusilla to capture Giles and kill Kendra in the process. Will Kendra still die but from different means. It's possible. And while Kendra is a likable character I may have a vamp or demon get her in Jamaica or maybe die in a car accident or something. I just happen to like Faith more.


End file.
